Our country is in decline and if we fail to change our ways we will bankrupt the next generation. As well as living beyond our means, we have allowed our society to decay and profound changes have taken place.

We were headed for the sunlit uplands with the state paying for our crèches, educating our children, providing employment, looking after the sick, caring for the elderly and generally sorting out all the nasty things in life. Hedonistic lifestyles and rights quickly overcame prudence and we discarded society’s responsibilities with alacrity. We no longer had any need to look out for our neighbour; others would do that for us. We were worth it, but, as we partied, the rot took hold. Standards fell in our education system and many were left behind. We began importing goods we used to export and factories were replaced by overpriced houses and shopping malls. A balanced and integrated economy was quickly replaced by a top heavy public sector and an army of commuters.

The vast majority of politicians have no real life experience. The Labour party selected yet another career politician to lead them. He in turn appointed one of Gordon Brown's former acolytes as his Shadow Chancellor. We must break this cycle before it breaks us. It is time for the electorate to set out in clear terms what it requires of its politicians rather than allowing them to set the agenda. By replacing political expediency with mutually agreed and achievable targets we could, over a reasonably short space of time, restore our prosperity and discharge our duty to those who follow.